When Bukayo Saka finished out of the top three in the voting poll for The Arsenal’s player of the 2023-24 season, it was not well received by some of the most loyal fans of the club, who shared a sentiment that none of the players at the club had a better campaign.
It wasn’t really because he was not deserving of the prize, but he was made a scapegoat of the high standard he had already set for himself.
More goals and more assists than anyone at the club yet lost his crown to the captain and back-to-back winner Martin Ødegaard, who also had a stellar campaign to be candid, but Saka was just Saka, and it just had to be him.
The duo of Declan Rice and William Saliba also came ahead of the English sensation, adding further insult to inflicted pain.
Bukayo Saka : A star made by The Arsenal, for The Arsenal
Invariably, Bukayo Saka is seen as a player with something to prove. Maybe because they know he can do it or just to have the rare chance to criticize him. However, when brought up against another, only a few compare. His dynamism makes him a different kind of player.
Grew up in a humble environment where football was more than just a game—it was a way of life. His versatility was the real asset that brought him to the first team in 2018, before sealing his place and current role with convincing and consistent displays.
Since breaking into the first team as a 17-year-old, the English star has taken up a huge responsibility at both club and later with country, becoming the face of both teams.
His charisma shines through in his interactions. Whether facing setbacks or celebrating victories, he maintains an optimistic outlook. This positivity not only boosts team morale but also resonates with fans, making him an inspiring figure.
Saka has been around for a while despite being only 23. He witnessed Arsenal at their lowest, sacrificed himself to seeing them become one of the forces to reckon with in the Premier League, while himself never stops getting better.
From the fruitless days of Unai Emery, when the team played without a recognizable identity, and with some underwhelming teammates, his star shone, even as the club experienced tenebrosity as a unit.
Despite the pressure of being in one of the world’s most competitive football environments, where a host of his mates were enjoying success elsewhere, Saka remained grounded, always focused on his development and true to his club, The Arsenal.
He demonstrates natural leadership qualities. His ability to communicate effectively and inspire confidence in others highlights his potential as a future captain of the club.
As the team continues to grow under Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka has not only established himself as a star at the club, but in the world of football in general.
His omission from the list of nominees for the Premier League Player of The Year last season raised a lot of highbrows. Albeit he made the cut for the Young category, his performance over the course of the season deserved better.
He was at the focal point of Arsenal’s quest for the league title, contributing vital goals and assists, like his late assist for Declan Rice winner over Manchester United in September, and a couple of match-winning or point earning assists against Everton, Chelsea amd Brentford.
He also scored very important goals starting on the opening weekend against Nottingham Forest and several others, ending the season with a total of 20 goals in all club competitions, and another 14 assists, including one for the late equalizer in the Community Shield win over Manchester City.
Although Bukayo Saka started his time with the senior team at left-back, in March 2023, he became the sixth-youngest player in Premier League history to reach 50 involvement in the competition, after Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Robbie Fowler, Cesc Fàbregas and Chris Sutton, all of whom, except Cesc Fabregas were attackers.
His achievements, so far, reflect his exceptional talent and his role as a key player for both Arsenal and England. For back-to-back years, he was named Three Lions’ Player of the Year ahead of players like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Overcoming the Euros penalty miss debacle
Bukayo Saka has shown so much resilience since his penalty miss for England in the final of the UEFA European Championship in the summer of 2021. Only 19 at the time, a lot of negativity was directed at him. Alongside Manchester United duo of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, were subjected to a wave of racial comments online following the loss, as football failed to come home.
The criticism and hate were overwhelming, but Saka handled it with remarkable maturity despite his young age. In a heartfelt message, he expressed his disappointment and vowed to come back stronger, while also calling for greater action against racism.
Three years later, Bukayo Saka and England would reach another UEFA European Championship, but again fall short to Spain in a 2-1 scoreline.
Facing his fears and putting it to bed
The season following the loss to Italy in the Euros final, Bukayo Saka enjoyed a productive season with Arsenal, scoring 12 goals and seven assists across all competitions, as they came agonizingly close to making a return to the UEFA Champions League.
And after the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January 2022, Saka assumed the responsibility of taking penalties, scoring his first attempt in a 4-2 victory away to Chelsea in April 2022.
As said by his manager Mikel Arteta after the game, “It tells me that moment he had and experience is over, and he learnt from that, and he is willing to take more responsibilities, big decisions that can define big moments.
“Of course to be the player Bukayo Saka is becoming, you’ll have to take big responsibilities like that.Saka has taken eleven penalty since then, missing only once, while scoring in big games against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
The nerve he has for stepping on to take such responsibility despite past narrative speaks volume of his mentality.
UEFA Champions League debut season
After seven years wait, Bukayo Saka led Arsenal into their first Champions League game on return to the competition and as fate would have it, he scored their first goal in a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in front of more than 58 thousand fans in the Emirates Stadium.
He became the first-ever and only player, since the start of the 2003-04 season to both score and assist in three consecutive home games in the UEFA Champions League, doing so against PSV Eindhoven, Sevilla and Lens.
Saka registered goal contributions in all but one of his five appearances in the group stages of the competition, including an assist in his 23 minutes appearance in the away loss to RC Lens, helping Arsenal finish top of the group before beating FC Porto to reach the quarter finals, for the first time since 2009-10 season.
Saka also converted his penalty in the shoot-out as Arsenal went flawless in their efforts, while David Raya was also excellent in keeping out Wendel and Wenderson’s penalties. He scored in their 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the first-leg, before their aggregate 3-2 elimination after falling to Joshua Kimmich’s only goal of the second leg in Munich.
He finished the competition with four goals and four assists in nine games, ranking as one of the best for the season, as only the trio of Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Júnior had more goal involvements than him.
His four assists tally was also bettered by Marcel Sabitzer and Jude Bellingham alone, both who finished with one more than the Arsenal’s number seven.
Sealing his place in the league of elites
In fast pace, Bukayo Saka is catching up on some of the landmarks set by the famous names to have graced the Premier League. Despite still looking for his first crown, he has accrued notable individual achievements.
As mentioned earlier, his achievements are not only limited to the league but extended to all competitions for both club and country. While his impressive UEFA Champions League debut season had been analyzed, lots of positives have also taken place with the national team, which saw him claim the back-to-back player of the year.
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he scored three goals to equal David Beckham’s entire goals for England in major international tournaments. His sensational strike against Switzerland in the Euros quarter finals took him ahead of the Manchester United legend and level with Cliff Bastin as the highest scoring England player while representing Arsenal.
In January, Bukayo Saka became the first player to record 10 plus goals and 10 plus assists in all competitions in two consecutive seasons for Arsenal since Alexis Sánchez did so three times running from 2014-15 to 2016-17.
In March, after assisting in the 6-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, Bukayo Saka became the sixth player to reach 50 plus goals and 50 plus assists in the Premier League since his debut in November 2018.
In May, he became the first Arsenal player to score 20 goals across all club competitions in a single season, since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his 29 in 2019-20 and the first Englishman to do so for the club since Theo Walcott scored 21 in 2012-13.
While there are other notable achievements and records for Bukayo Saka, not also forgetting his PFA Premier League Young Player of the Year award in 2022-23, a lot of things he does these days are less surprising, because of the standard he has set for himself.
Statistically, he gets better by season. A goal and assist on the opening weekend of this Premier League season is only a reminder that he is here and not stopping anytime soon. Infact, only Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah have scored 30 plus goals and registered 20 plus assists in the Premier League since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
It has been a while since the club witnessed player of such charisma like Thierry Henry. Albeit the Auba and Laca chemistry was a marvel, the turmoil Arsenal was in would not really let those moments be savored.
But with the current positive atmosphere around the club, and Bukayo Saka being one of their very own from Hale End, it does not get more exciting.
Watch the reaction of the fans when he was withdrawn in the weekend. After he had scored his 59th Arsenal goal, equaling the tally of late David Rocastle. How they delighfully cheered him while he walked the lenght of the side pitch to the Arsenal bench, and how he reciprocated by applauding them with each step he takes. That’s their main man right there.
As he continues to develop, he’s likely to set even more records in the coming years but what would be his priority is helping Arsenal win the Premier League title, and only then will football fans see clearer, his already astonishing career.
2 Comments
What a good read. Our very own starboy
Saka Will achieve greatness